


Galaxy Quest

by Keolah



Category: Star Trek - Various Authors
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Aliens, Exploration, Food, Gen, Spaceships, Withiki, attempted humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 1991-01-01
Updated: 1991-01-01
Packaged: 2017-11-14 16:31:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/517328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Keolah/pseuds/Keolah
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An old fic written when I was a kid. There is no plot.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Galaxy Quest

At the moment, Forward Observation Room Number Three was relatively unoccupied. Of course it was. There was nothing interesting to see out of the windows! Only a single person sat at the tables, even though they made a long wall in this stream-lined rectangular room almost completely windows. She was half-reclined at a table facing the mostly empty docking area. Enclosed from the vastness of space, ships used Forward Docking Area Number One for maintenance, refitting, upgrades, repairs, and sometimes assembling new vessels. 

There were currently two ships in the docking area. These were the ever-exciting freighter SS _Zebu_ and the newly built short-range transport _Wagon Train_. Neither of these vessels drew any attention to Forward Docking Area Number One, much less one of its three observation rooms. Okay, so there was a total of three people in the other rooms. All of them obviously wanted to be alone. Maybe that was what this person wanted, also, but she wasn't sure. 

Her name was Reshella Darene Kinoped, captain of the USS _Intrepid_. Currently, besides glaring at the _Zebu_ , she was sipping some beverage that smelled like a mix of dandelions and caramel, and she was reviewing the crew changes on the Intrepid. The only reason her ship was here at Starbase 22 in the Sirius star system was for these all-too routine crew transfers, reassignments, and all the general chaos present in most "civilized" areas of space. 

To Reshella, the almost infinite mysteries of deep space were calm and orderly compared to all of this other havoc called "colonization and exploration." The exploration part she had no problem with. It was just the colonization part that bothered her. Why did they always have to set up colonies on practically ever planet, planetoid, moon, asteroid, or just plain rock that we ever discover? Right now, Reshella didn't know the answer to that question. Maybe it was just the "human" thing to do, that is, set up colonies everywhere. Even though Reshella was mostly human, she remained more the explorer than the colonizer. 

Reshella, though mostly human, was part Betazoid. She had even been born on that world, Betazed. Nevertheless, she had decided to grow up on Earth. There were still many cultural ties to the Betazoids, for example the q'nagj'dlei she was drinking, but she was still mostly human. 

Human, and as such, she had now slipped into a daydream. Galaxies: Hundreds upon thousands upon millions of them, scattering the skies with distant light. Within each and every one of them, countless stars swirling in and out, dying and being born. Around every single one of those many stars, a dozen or so planets would circle. At least one of these planets would have life on it right now at this moment. Then definitely, within all of those galaxies and all of the stars and their spinning planets, there would be intelligence. People. Civilizations far more advanced and those barely using tools. The possibilities were infinite. From the swirl of the auroras on a distant world to the swirl of the fizzing q'nagj'dlei, the possibilities were infinite. 

Is that why the room suddenly filled up with people? 

Beings of all forms filled the room, even though Reshella could see nothing of interest in the docking area. Or maybe she could be wrong and there really was something interesting in the bay. _Wagon Train_ or _Zebu_? Probably neither. 

Neither. It just so happens that the doors to space had opened and in came _Intrepid_ 's sister ship, the _Nautilus_. Well, that was interesting, for a change. Unfortunately, what it was doing here was beyond Reshella. 

She took another glance at the list in her hand and muttered, "Forget it," and turned off the screen. It was only then that she noticed a young woman in front of her. 

"Captain Kinoped?" asked the woman, who was blessedly human. 

"Huh?" asked Reshella, not quite recognizing her own name for a moment. 

The woman ignored it. "We are having a party in Starboard Observation Room Number Two. We were wondering if you would like to join us." 

"Is there refreshments?" 

"The hostess has comparatively poor taste, but we convinced her to allow us not to eat the tridis mari," said the woman. 

"Treaties Mary?" mumbled Reshella. 

"Trust me, you don't want to know." the woman said, "Are you coming?" 

"Oh! Yes, I guess I am." 

The woman laughed; it was a sound like crystal bells. "Then follow me!"

Starboard Observation Room Number Two stirred with loud music and conversation. The woman finally decided to tell Reshella who she was and what was going on. 

"My name is Letina Delleth. This party is Neneq Qotorine's ninety-second birthday party." Letina got a greenish-colored drink from the food dispensers and sipped from it. It had a faint herbal smell. 

"Ninety-second?" asked Reshella, almost disbelieving. 

"Neneq is a Naqine," explained Letina, "Her age translates to about thirty Earth years. Thellarian tea?" 

"Nuh-Keen? Oh." Reshella said, "Um, yes, I'll have some." 

As Letina ordered up the tea, Reshella looked around the room. Even though she had never before even heard of a Naqine, she was sure that there were many species she did not know of. After Letina handed her the tea, a graceful figure with yellow-green scales walked toward them. 

"Neneq!" Letina cried, "Long time no see." 

"Letine, greetings to you as well." Neneq smiled. She spoke with a faint accent and her R's were as gracefully trilled as she was scaly. So this was a Naqine. Neneq looked to Reshella and said, "Who is this person, Letine?" 

"I am Reshella Kinoped," said Reshella. 

Neneq nodded. Reshella wasn't sure if that meant "yes" or if it was just another one of those strange alien habits. Reshella quickly decided on the former. 

"Interesting," said Neneq. 

Letina glanced at the chronometer and said, "Oh, my! Look at the time! Sorry, girls. I have to be going. I have an appointment with my--uh--psychiatrist. It's at noon. Look, it's already 11:45. Well, uh, bye!" 

Neneq looked to Letina and said, "It was nice conversing with you, Letine. Have a nice appointment with your psychiatrist." 

Letina was gone. Reshella was thinking, _If that wasn't a fake story, I am going to eat that Treaties Mary she mentioned_. Suddenly curious, Reshella asked Neneq, "Exactly what is this Treaties Mary I heard about." 

"Tridis mari is a dish from my home world, Naqine. It consists of fried lanine and broiled qenada." Neneq explained. 

"And what are luh-neen and Canada?" asked Reshella, totally unsure of what those items might possibly be. 

"Qenada is a type of rodent from Naqine, Reshella. Lanine is comparable to Terra's earthworms," Neneq said, glad to share a piece of her culture. "Would you like to try some?" 

Earthworms. "Uh, no thanks, Neneq. I am a vegetarian." said Reshella. Okay, so it was true, if you count not eating Treaties Mary as a vegetarian, but at the very least it got her off the hook. Neneq had a great respect for other people's cultures. She did not press the subject any further. 

Instead, she showed Reshella the salad bar. Reshella didn't hesitate to spoon a generous serving of her one of her favorite dishes, fruit salad straight from Earth, into one of the synthetic bowls. Neneq looked pleased that Reshella had found something she liked, so she turned around and disappeared into the crowd. Reshella took her salad over to a table next to the windows. Now there was something to look at! Four starships adorned the docking area, one of which was the _Intrepid_. While staring admirably at her ship and munching her salad, another figure asked if he could join her. 

She recognized his species as being Withiki. His wings feathered with bright gold were draped over his chair. He was eating something that looked like a potato but smelled like salt. 

"My name is Lihal Zelahar," he said. 

"Reshella Kinoped," she said, then gestured to her ship, "That's my ship, the _Intrepid_." 

Lihal smiled, then said, "Really? I'm the science officer on the _Nautilus_." 

"Fascinating." 

"Hard to believe, isn't it." Lihal said proudly, "It is a fine ship." 

"I bet it is." Reshella sighed. Then, curiosity overwhelmed her, "What is that you're eating?" 

"This is z'dar. From the Withiki homeworld." Lihal explained, "It's good." 

"Sounds better than that Treaties Mary or whatever she called it," said Reshella dryly. They both started laughing. 

When the laughter had died down, Lihal asked, "So what's our new voyage?" 

"We're going to an unexplored region of space to name stars, discover new planets, and boldly bore ourselves to death. From long-range scans, the entire sector is jam-packed with planets, but they might as well be rocks for all the life there is on them. Primitive bacteria and other single-celled organisms. It seems as though the highest form of life in the entire sector is jellyfish." 

"Then why are they sending you there?" asked Lihal. 

"I guess to analyze stars, explore those dull planets, look at rock formations, and actually get through a game of chess with my first officer. So far, we've had to call all of our previous games off because one of us fell asleep." They started laughing again. 

"So, when are we leaving?" Lihal asked. 

"We're leaving tomorrow at noon," said Reshella. "Where does Starfleet come up with these boring missions," asked Reshella, "and why?" 

"To bore starship officers," said Lihal. They laughed. 

Letina appeared with three chocolate sundaes. Reshella's mouth started watering. Letina put the sundaes down in front of them and took a seat. "Dig in," said Letina. 

None of them hesitated to "dig" into the ice cream. 

"How did you know chocolate was my favorite?" Reshella asked. 

"Why do you think I went to the 'psychiatrist'?" Letina said, "I called up the computer records of what you ordered most and discovered that you were just crazy about chocolate." 

"Great," said Reshella, "Now you can learn anyone's favorite foods by just pushing a button." 

"The computer responds to voice commands, you know," stated Lihal. 

"And what else can you learn just by talking to a computer?" Reshella asked. 

"Practically anything you wanted, considering you had permission for some things." Letina smiled, "You wouldn't believe the stuff you can find out by just 'pushing a button' as you call it. You can even get this information from practically anywhere in the Federation. If the information isn't at the terminal right then, they can always send out to the nearest starbase and take it there." 

"Sort of frightening, isn't it," said Reshella, savoring the sundae. 

"I know just what you mean," agreed Letina before getting back to the ice cream.

After the party, Reshella D. Kinoped returned to the _Intrepid_. Aah, it's good to be home, she thought. She opened the door to her quarters and plopped down into an overstuffed chair. Reshella looked at the wall above the door. There hung a U-shaped piece of metal; on Earth such things were called "horseshoes." Since there were no horses in the immediate vicinity, the horseshoe was merely a decoration and good luck charm. Still, it was a perfect reminder of Reshella's human heritage. 

Beside the door hung an old-fashioned thermometer. Since it currently read forty degrees, Reshella knew it had to be broken. She didn't know if it was supposed to be Fahrenheit or Celsius, but it was wrong either way. 

On the other side of the door sat a replica of a model ship in a bottle. Reshella had never quite learned what the purpose of the bottle was, other that maybe protection. Not that the thin glass offered much protection. Earth had such strange customs. But, of course, so did many cultures. 

_Why am I examining my room? I'm tired. I might as well go to bed. There is no point in staying up_ , thought Reshella. She got up and went into the other rooms of her quarters. But she knew somehow that things were about to change drastically in her life. 

"Oh, hello there, Tigger," said Reshella after she nearly stepped on her striped pet. 

"Mew," said the cat. 

"Good night, Tiggy." 

"Mew."

The next morning, the computer rudely awoke Reshella with a steady "Beep! Beep! Beep!" Reshella suddenly sat up in bed and cried: 

"What!?! Computer, why the red alert!?!" 

The computer responded in a slightly staticy voice, "There is no red alert." 

"Then what is that alarm?" asked Reshella, getting out of bed. 

"It is currently 09:01." the computer responded placidly, "Resh, you should have been awake two hours ago." 

"Oh." Reshella said, not quite awake yet, "In that case I had better get in uniform. I am supposed to meet Admiral Negrack Ordgreer for breakfast at ten." 

"Affirmative, Reshie, dear. Calculating shuttle time to the Starbase indicates that you should leave at 09:32." stated the computer. 

"Oh, gee," said Reshella sarcastically, "I really needed your input, computer." 

"Anything to help, Resh," said the computer. 

"And another thing, computer," Reshella pointed out, "Never call me Resh. That nickname is reserved for family members only! Is that clear?" 

"Perfectly clear," said the computer indifferently, "Resh." 

Reshella sighed in resignation, "Oh forget it."

The bridge was the perfect depiction of a beehive. People were swarming about, buzzing from console to console in a flurry of conversation and static from the communications console. It even smelled like a hive. It looked as though Commander Dano had spilled a honey-scented milkshake next to the navigation console. 

When Reshella had walked onto the bridge, the first thing she thought was: Beehive. The second thing she thought was: Los Angeles at rush hour. 

With six hundred people on the ship, half of which seemed to be new here, it was not hard to believe that this was a moving city in space. It was also not hard to believe that every one of them was currently on the bridge. 

A Withiki lieutenant was eating something similar to Earth's banana, and dropping the peels on the floor. Reshella recognized him, but she couldn't pronounce his name. Unfortunately, a young ensign with a tall pile of equipment in his arms found this litter to be hazardous. He stepped on it, then skidded right into the science console. The science officer had been drinking something bright blue, which got dropped onto the console. The drink found its way into the computer, which put out a staticy protest. 

"Resh, tell these people to cut it out, please," the computer cried. 

"Enough already!" Reshella shouted. Everyone froze and the bridge instantly became silent. "That's better. Now, first of all, Lieutenant Lershoralz: pick up those peels. Rockwell, Kintstar: get to cleaning up that drink. Ensign Fenneler: gather up that equipment and take it wherever you were going. Computer: please try to remain logical." 

The crew nodded as one and got to work. Maybe there was hope for these people, after all. 

Maybe. Reshella stepped back into the elevator and headed for the vehicle bay. 

After breakfast with the admiral, Reshella returned to the _Intrepid_. The bridge, fortunately enough, was in the same order that she had left it in. Except for the fact that the computer had to explain how to install the scanner upgrades to the same young banana ensign, it was quite quiet. 

Reshella glanced at the PADD in her hand and discovered that the banana ensign's name was Jacobbar Freskellon Din-Kalor. Interesting. He was half Betazoid. 

She looked at the chronometer on the wall. The red numerals stated that it was currently 11:34:27. Half an hour before they left Starbase 22 and headed for deep space. Sounds fun, thought Reshella. 

While reviewing more crew changes, the time passed quickly. So much for "Time flies when you're having fun." 

A message from Admiral Ordgreer came over the communications lines. He was wishing them well on their "adventure." A moment later, communications officer Lieutenant Derknakkor stated that they were cleared for leaving the docking area. As they approached the bay doors, the red light above the heavy doors turned green. The magnetic seals of the doors released and they began to open, revealing the chilling vastness of space beyond the starbase's protective grasp. _Intrepid_ slowly sailed through them, as if afraid of the starscape in space. Nevertheless, _Intrepid_ lived up to its name and fearlessly stepped out into space. From there, they sped off into space at speeds faster than light. 

"Lieutenant Lershoralz," Reshella asked the navigator, "when should we arrive at the sector?" 

The Withiki glanced at his console and answered, "About three weeks, two days, four hours, twenty-three-" 

"I get the point," interrupted Reshella before he could tell how many seconds it would take. 

And that's from someone who eats bananas and throws the peels on the floor, thought Reshella. 

She left the bridge, hoping it would not be any less chaotic than it already was. 

Two weeks later, sirens began sounding and Reshella was called to the bridge. Red lights were flashing all throughout the ship. When she arrived on the bridge, she found out why. 

A rip in space. It looked like a rip in space. Total blackness inside a long tear in space. Suddenly, the rip began to fill up the screen. 

"Dano, what's going on? What is that thing?" Reshella said. 

"The gravitational forces seem to be pulling us inside!" Dano cried. 

"All hands, brace for impact!" shouted Reshella into the intercom, "Repeat: All hands--" 

But she didn't get to finish her warning. The rip engulfed them. Everyone was flung across the room. "Down" suddenly had a whole new meaning. The artificial gravity struggled to compensate. Everyone was knocked unconscious. 

Reshella slowly regained consciousness. The first thing she realized was that the gravity had managed to compensate. Maybe too well. She felt like it was currently three times Earth's gravity. She slowly tried to get up. 

The entire bridge crew was out as cold as a Betazed winter. Reshella walked up to Dano. Her first officer was very white. Reshella shook him slightly. Dano immediately awoke and, remembering the rip, stood up faster than a jack-in-the-box and examined the bridge. The main screen was black, as were most of the stations. Dano began reciting a damage report, but Reshella was busy getting the screen working. 

When she did, she regretted it. 

The screen was filled with an unfamiliar skyscape. A pair of yellow-red nebulae flanked a nearby golden star. An outlying comet soared toward the sun system. She could see one of the farthest out planets, which was a gas giant, silhouetted in front of the larger nebula. 

"Dano, where are we?" Reshella asked skeptically. 

"Scanners are currently off-line," said Dano. 

"Get them working," said Reshella as she headed for the intercom. She began calling engineering, security, and sickbay before trying the other sections. 

"What's the status on the crew?" Dano asked. 

"Only engineering and stellar cartography responded. Apparently, the others are not awake yet." 

"Scanners are coming back on-line now," said Dano. 

"Then where are we? What was that thing?" asked Reshella. 

"You're not going to like this," stated Dano. 

"You'll have to tell me anyway," said Reshella. 

"The spatial anomaly was probably a wormhole of some sort, and it apparently closed after the ship and _Nautilus_ passed through it," said Dano. 

"But where are we?" 

"This place is uncharted, unscanned, unclassified, totally unknown, and unnamed." 

"Dano, answer my question." 

"Due to circumstances beyond my control," said Dano nervously, "We are in another galaxy. Spiral galaxy, slightly smaller than Milky Way. Very prominent arms, with few stars between them. The location of this galaxy places it on the outer edge of the Virgo Supercluster." 

"Another galaxy?" Reshella muttered, "Describe the star system in front of us." 

"Single star, seven planets. Two planets are Earth-like, with breathable atmosphere. Three are gas giants. The other two are much like Mercury, filled with heavy materials like iron and gold." 

"Any life?" 

"On the Earth-like planets? Definitely. Actually, both planets have a combined intelligent population of ten billion. They have about the same technology level of Earth, and maybe higher. They clearly know we are here already." 

"Can the computer translate their language?" asked Reshella. 

"Translating energetically," said the computer. 

"What are you doing?" Reshella said. 

"Monitoring communications between the two planets and their moons and running them through a translator." the computer said, "I have a complete vocabulary of their language already." 

"What do they call themselves and their planets and star?" asked Reshella. 

"They call themselves the Selenar. They originated on the fourth planet, Selen. When they reached the level of technology of Earth's late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, they explored and colonized the third planet, Selar, and six of the moons: Lenar, Nalar, and Thelen of Selar; Tanar, Welar, and Kelen of Selen. They call their star Selena." 

"Can you get the names of what they call their stars, also?" asked Reshella. 

"You mean the stars in this galaxy, Resh?" asked the computer. Reshella nodded impatiently, "Yes I can. I already have. By analyzing their communications, I have gotten a relatively complete map of this arm in their galaxy, which they call the Nelendarhelen, N'delen for short." 

"Computer, how would they react to us?" 

"They would probably accept our story and call us their friends." 

"Tell us about them," said Reshella, noting that some of the other bridge crew members were just waking up. Dano filled them in on what had happened. 

"Well, Resh, the Selenar are very much like humans, but can be distinguished by their eyes. Unlike humans, the Selenar had eyes like Earth's felines. They see in what most humans would call total blackness. Their eye-colors vary from yellow, silver, green, and blue to brown and black. The average height of a Selenar is five feet ten inches, or one point seven eight meters. Their average weight is one hundred and twenty pounds or fifty-four point four three kilograms. Their hair color is varied from red to black. 

"Resh, I believe we should make contact with them before too much more time passes." 

"I agree," said Reshella. "Rockwell," she said to the navigator, "Take us into the system, slowly." 

Rockwell did. When Reshella asked when they would arrive at the nearest Selenar-populated moon, Rockwell said that they'd be at Kelen in three minutes. 

"We are receiving a request to identify ourselves from the fourth planet," said Lieutenant Derknakkor. 

"Computer, please respond to their message," said Reshella, "Tell them who we are and how we got here." 

"Yes, Reshie," said the computer. 

"Computer," said Reshella. 

"Working energetically," said the computer. 

"I thought I told you never to call me Resh," she said, almost too calmly. 

"Records show that you did, Resh," said the computer. 

"Then why do you keep calling me that?" Reshella asked. 

"Why shouldn't I? I am the computer, after all." 

"Just send the message," sighed Reshella. 

"Okey-dokey, Reshie dear," the computer said. 

Reshella rolled her eyes. A few moments later, a message appeared on the screen: 

To Captain Kinoped of the _Intrepid_ : 

The Selenar would be glad to make you our allies. We are sending three ships to escort yours and the _Nautilus_ to Selen. From there, you may wish to speak with the Selenar Council. With the Selenar, such matters are commonly discussed over dinner. It is probable that you may find some of our dishes inedible. This is understandable and will be excused. 

One of the ships to escort you is the flagship of the Kelen Lunar Fleet, KLV Swift. Its captain is Fastem Kiordem. The other two are called KLV Fearless and KLV Flare. 

Kale Dimorek of Kelen 

Reshella relayed the message - and the current situation - to the crew, who were mostly awake by now. When she had finished, three arrowhead-shaped vessels swiftly emerged from the atmosphere of the gray-green moon below. They were streamlined and quick - much more maneuverable than the _Intrepid_. Following them, _Intrepid_ and _Nautilus_ broke orbit and followed them to the planet Selen. Though quick and maneuverable, it became obvious that these small vessels were incapable of interstellar travel. Dwarfed by the _Intrepid_ alone, the Kelen Lunar Fleet clearly was nothing more. 

"When will we arrive at Selen?" Reshella asked. 

"At this speed," said Lershoralz, "approximately two hours, three minutes, and forty-two point -" 

"Forget the seconds, Lershoralz. Just round it off. If I were you, I'd forget the minutes, too." 

Lershoralz didn't respond. Just as well. Reshella decided to get acquainted with the Selenar language. If she was going to speak with these people, it would be better not to use a translator too much. If she could get a reliable response out of the computer.

Two hours, three minutes, and forty-two seconds later, the ships entered orbit around Selena IV, the planet Selen. The blue-gold planet looked invitingly like Betazed in spring, when the ice melted and the golden spores of local plant-life filled the upper stratosphere with spore clouds so dense they could be seen from space. 

While they were in flight, the Swift had sent messages explaining the situation to Selen. At least they would know what they were up against. One couldn't say quite as much about the _Intrepid_. 

In the meantime, Reshella studied a bit of the Selenar culture. She wondered what sort of food they were going to eat. Anything would be better than the food she'd had to eat at the academy. 

"We are receiving a message from the planet, Captain," said Derknakkor, "It says we can come down anytime we want. They also sent the coordinates of where they want us to be." 

"Relay the message to _Nautilus_ and tell Captain Nemor Reneo that he should come, too." 

Derknakkor did. "Captain Reneo says that he and his science officer are going to the designated coordinates in the shuttle _Everest_." 

"Tell him that me and my first officer are going there in the shuttle _McKinley_." 

Derknakkor did. 

"Dano," said Reshella, "Come on. Let's see if their food is better than the academy's." 

Dano smiled and followed Reshella to the main vehicle bay. 

The shuttle _McKinley_ was nothing like luxurious. Put bluntly, the shuttles on the _Intrepid_ and most other ships like her were slightly boxy, but efficient. There was plenty of room in the shuttle for more people; it was designed to fit eight comfortably. With only two people, it felt quite roomy. 

The shuttle _Everest_ slid through the atmosphere, looking boxier than ever. As the two shuttles approached the coordinates, they saw that it was a square in the center of a majestic city. To both the right and left were crescent-shaped pools of highly reflective water. Directly in front of them, a huge building that looked like something out of a fairy tale came into view. Towering columns flanked a richly carved pair of doors. Towers of varying heights and widths that seemed randomly placed sprung from every conceivable place on the building. Trees of all kinds formed a place loosely fitting the description of a forest surrounded the castle on all sides. Roads paved with what looked like cobblestones but more durable extended in three compass-point directions, south, east, and west, from the square. The blue-gold sky stretched endlessly above them. The place was beautiful. 

Nine flags flew over the square: one to the front and four on each side. The center flag was a rainbow arching across a blue sky. This was the flag of the Selenar Republic. The other flags were those of Selen, Selar, and their moons. To the right, Selar and its moons flew. To the left were Selen and its moons. 

The shuttles landed smoothly in the square. Two figures emerged from the boxy vehicles. Two of them were clearly recognizable as being at least mostly human. One of them was just as obviously not human: Nemor's science officer Lihal Zelahar of Withiki. The fourth was Dano, who was full Betazoid. 

When they stepped out into the Selenar world, they entered a fairy tale. Followed closely by the other three, Reshella approached the castle. When she was a few feet from the door, it opened and a figure emerged. 

She was a tall, young Selenar with sparkling blue cat's eyes and rich black hair. As she approached Reshella, she said in Selenar, "I am Nethel Derane. Welcome to Selen. This is the Selen castle. Please come inside. The other council-members await you." 

Reshella nodded in the universal yes and followed the girl inside. 

They found themselves in a large banquet hall with seven other people. Nethel showed them to seats on one side of the table before sitting down with the other council-people. Then they all introduced each other. 

"I am Reshella Darene Kinoped, captain of the USS _Intrepid_. This is my first officer Commander Dano din-Dano. That is Nemor Reneo, captain of the USS _Nautilus_. The one with wings is his science officer, Lihal Zelahar of Withki." 

Nethel smiled and began introducing the council-members, beginning with herself. "I am Council-member Nethel Derane of Selen. This is Council-member Jesser Garath of Selar. That is Council-member Resseth Nagore of Kelen. The bearded one is Council-member Arnoth Kezh of Welar. The big ones are Council-member Medran Deliather of Lenar, and his twin, Council-member Nedran Deliather of Nalar. This is Council-member Nackoren Dather of Tanar. Lastly, that one is Council-member Jakelled d'Nomo of Thelen." 

"I'll never be able to remember all those," said Reshella. 

"You don't have to," said Nethel. "To this day, some of us can't even tell Medran and Nedran apart." At this, all of them laughed, including the twins and the visitors. 

"Now we eat," said Nethel. She pressed a button on the intricately carved table; a bell sounded. A robot came into the hall. 

"Droid, we would like twelve of meal 12-C." Nethel told the robot. 

The droid nodded and left the room. A few minutes later, it returned with a pair of trays, on one of which sat a large covered plate, and on the other sat twelve small plates, each with some sort of egg on them. The droid put the large plate in the center of the table and put each of the small ones in front of the people. Then, the droid removed the cover of the large plate. It looked startlingly like ham. The droid cut each of them a slice of it and put it on their plates. Then the droid left. 

Nethel said something that translated to "Dig in." The council-members began eating. Reshella asked what it was. "Nafu eggs and ham." Council-member Jesser explained that Nafu was a bird from his home world Selar. The ham was from a form of local pig. 

Reshella looked at her plate. The egg yolks were green. Something about green eggs and ham suddenly came into her mind. Reshella turned off her translator and said to the others, "I will not eat green eggs and ham. I will not eat them, Sam I am." 

Lihal smiled and turned off his translator before saying, "Remember how that story ended?" 

Reshella shrugged. Lihal picked up a utensil that looked like a combination of a knife and a fork and took a bite of his eggs. "They're actually pretty good." 

Reshella raised an eyebrow. Then she turned her translator back on and looked at her eggs again. Still green. She took a bite of them. They tasted just like eggs. She raised the other eyebrow and tried her ham. It was the best ham she had ever tasted. She took another look at her eggs. Green. Oh, what's the difference. Reshella ate the first egg. Nemor was telling the council what had happened. The council kept nodding. That probably meant they were listening, or something. 

Reshella put in what the computer had explained how it happened. When they had thoroughly explained all that had occurred then, Medran - or was it Nedran? - said, "We see that you are far from home and without and allies." 

The other twin added, "We would be glad to allow you to join the Selenar. We ourselves have few allies." 

Nethel said, "The Selenar have few ships like yours. If re-registered as a Selenar Interstellar Vessel, you would gain all the support of the Selenar." 

"Good eggs," said Reshella. 

A council-member with a thick beard said, "If you wish to re-register your vessels, the place to do so is not far from here. Perhaps you would like a walk in the _luaha_ after dinner." 

_Luaha_ was a word the computer had not explained to her. The translator said that it was either a plaza or a lampshade. 

" _Luaha_?" said Reshella, "You mean like a lampshade?" 

Nethel said, "I think Arnoth means the forest-like place around the castle." Nethel laughed. "But, knowing Arn, he might just take a walk in a lampshade." 

Everyone except Arnoth laughed at that. 

"In that case," said Reshella, "I'd like to walk in a _luaha_."

Four figures were silhouetted in the light of the shuttle _Everest_. Behind them, Nemor was drinking a cup of strong coffee. Reshella sometimes wondered how he could ever sleep after that. 

Nethel pointed up into the sky. Selen was remarkably beautiful at night. Many bright stars shone through the atmosphere, showering the visitors with light which was amazingly brilliant. Nethel was pointing straight to a star the color of a sapphire. 

"That star we call Tafana. It's part of a constellation we still call Aniador, after an ancient prophecy of a Selenar people of long ago. To see Aniador, you should look for the bright cluster of stars to the right of Tafana. We call then the Dabbatar. From there, look up to the brightest star in the sky, Nalada. That symbolizes Aniador's head. The stories say that Aniador is looking down from the sky, and in her hands she holds the sea, Tafana, and the land, Dabbatar." 

"Such rich history," Reshella muttered. "Back home on Earth, we also named the stars long before we could even dream of visiting them. There was one constellation I remember distinctly, mostly because it was the only one I could find. We called it Orion. I guess it was of some man supposedly fighting a bull. Of course, I have never even seen a bull. From what I heard, I don't think I want to." 

"Actually," said Lihal, "Orion, in Greek mythology, was a mighty hunter beloved by the goddess Artemis. Tricked by her brother Apollo, Artemis shot Orion with an arrow. Thus he was placed among the stars." 

"And where did you learn that?" asked Reshella. 

"A subject of my interest happens to be Earth legends and history," explained Lihal. "I have been studying ancient Greece for six years now. I find their -" 

"I get the point," Reshella said quickly, then spoke to Nemor. "What are you doing over there?" 

"Drinking coffee and staring at you," cried Nemor. 

"Why don't you come over here with us?" suggested Reshella. 

"Because there isn't a coffee dispenser over there." 

"How can you ever sleep?" 

"Who says I sleep? For one thing, your conversation is so boring that I need it to keep from falling asleep right here. For another, I think I might anyway." 

Smothering a giggle, Reshella turned away. 

"What was that all about?" asked Nethel. 

Reshella tried to explain. 

"What's coffee?" Nethel asked. 

"A stimulant." 

Across the _luaha_ rang gales of laughter into the night.

They spent the night in the castle. In spite of its outward appearance, it was equipped with the so-called modern conveniences commonly found on Earth and other "civilized" planets. Nethel said it was still a little remote. She also suggested looking around a bit. Reshella took her advice and began to explore. 

She was never told how vast this castle was. Literally hundreds of rooms, linked by dozens of hallways and staircases. It was rather dizzying. When she first stepped out into the hallway, she had not expected the scale at which this castle was based around. She had not traveled through many halls at all. She had entered the room from the outside entrance. As soon as she had stepped outside, she went back and retrieved a scanner from her pack. She set it to automatically generate a map of the areas she explored. Thus prepared, she set out into the castle. 

After five minutes, she had no idea where she was. Since she didn't want to go back to her room at this time, she decided to proceed anyway. At the next four-way intersection, she found a small rotunda, in the center of which stood a statue of what appeared to be a man with the head of a cobra. The thing was hideous, so she continued down one of the hallways. 

Soon, she came to another small room. There were three other ways to go from here. In the center of the room, a statue of a viper-headed woman seemed to stare at her as she approached it. Reshella looked down at the inscription. In the abstract Selenar script, it showed four pictures. The first was of a viper; the second was a woman; the third showed the land and water together; the last signified control. Reshella translated the pictures into the Selenar spoken language. It was pronounced "Uh-nee-uh-door," Aniador. So this was the fabled Aniador. With a shrug, Reshella proceeded down the next corridor. 

Once again, she came to an intersection. Once again, she saw a room that had a statue in it. This was a man with a rattlesnake's head. Real Selenar don't look like this. At least not now. Who knows, but maybe they once did. Reshella rolled her eyes and continued down the halls. 

Eleven statues later, Reshella was totally lost. Staring at a statue of a man with a cobra head, she had no idea where she might be. She hesitated to use her scanner to return to her room, and finally resolved not to yet. Nevertheless, all of these statues looked the same. There must be some way to tell them apart! Wait! Reshella remembered the captions. Looking at the base of the statue, she found a small plaque. There were four pictures, once again. The first was a cobra; the second was a man; the third was the wind; the last signified riding. Cobra-man, who rides the wind. In Selenar, that would be "Ef-ri-duh-kar" Efridakar. Reshella shuddered. Then, she quickly walked down the next hallway. 

To her surprise, she did not come to another room, or even another intersection. Instead she came to a pit. As many forms of snakes that she ever wished to see slithered around the bottom and snapped at her. As fast as she could, Reshella turned around and ran. She didn't care where, as long as it was away from here. 

She stopped just in time to avoid crashing into Nethel. Nethel gave her a puzzled look. How human these people are, thought Reshella before she recalled the snakes. 

"Did I ever tell you," said Reshella as she caught her breath, "how much I hate snakes!" 

Nethel smiled and said, "You found the snake pit, didn't you?" 

"Yes, and a dozen statues of snake-headed people. Who is Efridakar, anyway?" 

"Efridakar is the wind-rider," said Nethel. 

"I know that, but who is he?" 

"That is all he is. He is a snake-headed man who rides the wind." 

"Whatever. I think I'll go back to my room." 

"Maybe that would be best." 

Reshella got out her scanner. It told her that half of the statues were the same two. The others just looked that way. With a short giggle, she found her way back to her room.

That was when she realized how stupid her room looked. The color scheme consisted of green, purple, and orange. Two walls were covered each with three tapestries featuring native animals, mostly snakes. Reshella reflected that the Selenar word for snakes in general was senelthar. Why were these people obsessed with snakes? The door carvings also used the common motif of a senelthar cluster. The type of senelthar appeared to be the cobra. Reshella read the ancient picture writing on the door. The first picture was a hood; the second a snake; the third a crown; the last represented all reptiles. Hooded snake, king of reptiles. In Selenar, that was "Keh-doe-re-nar" Kedorenar. 

Reshella decided not to think about snakes for a while. She leaned on the richly engraved table next to her. A small, previously hidden panel in the table slid open and an rectangular object slowly emerged. When the object ceased moving, Reshella looked at it. It was the same color and pattern of the table, but now was sitting on the table. Reshella wondered what its purpose could be. 

She lightly touched one of the engravings, which appeared to be an open door or something. Across the room, the center tapestry slowly and silently raised and folded itself near the ceiling. A panel in the wall slid open to reveal a screen. A chair emerged from the floor directly in front of it. Reshella blinked. 

She decided to try touching the symbol of a lightning bolt on the box, which she assumed to be a remote control of some kind. The screen began to glow a soft blue. In Selenar, a faintly mechanical voice said, "Please state what you wish to do." Several symbols appeared on the screen. They translated to about the same thing the voice had just said. 

"What are you?" asked Reshella, letting her translator convert her words into Selenar. 

"I am the computer of your room. I am linked to the main computer of this castle. What are you?" 

Reshella was taken aback by this question. She attempted a reply, but there were no Selenar words for "human" or "Betazoid." 

"What is your name?" asked the computer. 

"Reshella Kinoped. What's yours?" replied Reshella. 

"D-87-C unit 1stR8." 

"That's your name? 1stR8?" 

"Affirmative, Resh." 

"Have you been talking to my ships computer?" 

"I am currently linked to the _Intrepid_ 's computer, Reshie dear." 

"I can tell." 

"Incoming communication from computer UR2Yz in Nethel's room." 

"Huh? Visual?" 

"Affirmative, Reshie dear. On screen." 

Nethel's pretty face appeared on the screen. The image smiled and said, "I see you have found 1stR8. How did you accomplish that? I thought our computers were well hidden." 

"It was." Reshella said, "I just leaned against the table and some sort of remote control came up. I couldn't really read written Selenar, but it doesn't take much to guess what something's purpose might be. I do it all the time when trying to figure out what those Starfleet technical manuals are talking about." 

They laughed. Then, Nethel said, "I know easily how to read written Selenar, but I have never even seen a sample of your language." 

"I don't know if you would understand it. By Earth standards, your writing is extremely primitive. Our writing is alphabetic, that is, based on sounds instead of entire words. Maybe Lihal could give an accurate summary, unless you don't want to go into some big long discussion on ancient Greek." 

"Yes, I may be able to contact Lihal's room's computer, LGro9." Nethel touched the wall by the screen. Reshella could imagine Lihal's face when he saw his tapestry rising. Abruptly, the screen split, showing her both Nethel and Lihal's room. Lihal looked confused and walked up to the screen. "Lihal, we are having a discussion on Earth writing. Perhaps you could give an accurate summary." 

"Indeed," said Lihal, "Earth standard writing, once known as English or Latin, happens to be a very interesting topic. I will give you a brief summary. 

After nearly an hour of going into great detail about the writing of ancient Greece, China, America, and various other places, he finally stopped. 

"That's a 'brief' summary?" Reshella asked. 

"Indeed," said Lihal, "But I could go into a more complete discussion if you'd like." 

"I find this topic interesting," commented Nethel, "Who were these Greeks?" 

From here, Lihal went into more detail about the origins of standard Earth writing, answering questions in between. He was finished a few hours later. 

By the time Lihal finished his discussion, they were all tired and went to sleep immediately.

The next morning, Reshella felt surprising rested. She said that they might as well go into town and register their ships. Nethel decided to go with them, since she enjoyed a walk to town every now and then. 

The path leaving the castle to the west was surrounded by trees of every description, as brightly colored as New England in fall and as diverse as the Terran rainforests. Birds of every color fluttered through the _luaha_ , singing their own unique songs. A flock of rich red birds flew in stark contrast to the blue-gold sky. These birds merged with several birds of amethyst and jet before once again separating into their own flocks. Out in the trees, a young deer-like animal with gold-yellow spots and a large crest of white could be seen pursued by a small pack of wolf-like beasts of silver. Nethel called the wolves wakiwa, "beasts of the red claws." 

Ahead, the trees parted to reveal a vast metropolis before them. From this vantage point in the _luaha_ , they could see this entire area of the city, the Selenar Capital. It was strange that they had not felt any downward movement at all until this point. Below them, a steep, winding path descended into the metropolis. The trees grew fewer until only a scattering of them knotted the spiraling route down to the capital. 

They soon saw that the city, like the castle, had the outward appearance of a primitive society not even out of the dark ages. But, also like the castle, it was much more that it at first seemed; a thunderegg appearing only to be a worthless rock but to find the value one must look deeper. Inside lies a place of value as glorious as the stars but hidden well below the surface. Reshella asked Nethel if all of the Selena system was like this. Nethel said that it was only on Selen. Thus, for lack of a better word to describe the planet, they called Selena Four "Thunderegg World." 

Nethel said that she would have to return to the Selen Castle, but a friend of hers called Yuri would be meeting up with them shortly. She left by the twisting path and disappeared into the _luaha_. A few minutes later, a tall and scrawny Selenar approached them and introduced himself as Yuri Yubic. His cat's eyes shone pale yellow and his tousled hair was bleached so as what may once have been red now was pink. 

"I am Captain Reshella Kinoped of the _Intrepid_ , and this is my first officer, Dano din-Dano." 

"I am Captain Nemor Reneo of the _Nautilus_ , and this is my science officer, Lihal Zelahar." 

"Pleased to make your acquaintance," said Yuri. "Have you had breakfast yet?" 

"Come to think of it, we haven't," said Nemor. 

"I know a restaurant near here that serves the best tosirans." Yuri smiled. 

"Yum. What are toe-sirens?" Reshella asked. 

"A dish made up of several varieties of local fruit," explained Yuri. "The fruits are: yilga berries, kappur fruit, igrand berries, and tamu nuts." 

"I think I'll have to find out for myself what those are," said Reshella. The translator had been unable to give her any hints about those things. Yuri took them down the street to a three-story flat-roofed building. 

The sign on the door proclaimed the best food this side of Selen City. Waves of a pulsing, exotic music spewed out of the open doors along with wafts of sweet-smelling meals. There lay a large patio along the length of the restaurant that had the outward appearance of cobblestones. On this patio, white tables with brightly-colored umbrellas were scattered. The people here did not seem to take notice of the aliens; a few of them, though, saw the visitors, but did not find anything unusual. They kept their eyes on the aliens no longer than any other restaurant customers. 

"Let's go on the roof." Yuri suggested, "The air's fresher up there, and the view isn't bad either." 

"That sounds terrific to me," smiled Reshella, suddenly in a wonderful mood. 

The aliens followed Yuri up the cheerful wooden staircase that wound up the side of the building. Completely exposed to the weather, the staircases sole purpose was to get potential customers to the roof without breaking the usual good weather by having it inside. Besides, if it were raining, there wouldn't be anyone on the roof anyway. 

At the second-story balcony, Reshella noticed a beautiful tree with golden leaves and bright silver flowers that grazed the railing like a summer's breeze. 

"Oh, that's so pretty," said Reshella. "What kind of tree is it?" 

"A tamdar." Yuri said, "It's leaves are toxic to the Selenar touch, and that's why it was never trimmed back. Pretty soon we'll have to get out the cutting lasers to prune it." 

Reshella didn't want to believe that she couldn't touch those picturesque golden leaves. She pulled her scanner out of her pack and pointed it in the general direction of the tamdar. It told her that the leaves were, indeed, toxic to Selenar. But they were perfectly harmless to all of the known inhabitants of the Milky Way Galaxy. In fact, to humans and Betazoids it could be a useful healing agent. Reshella made a mental note to collect a sample before returning to the ship. She then informed Yuri and the others what the plant was to them. 

"Well, then maybe you could prune it;" said Yuri, "It is dangerous to us, but I see you will be able to find a use for it. Why don't you just take the whole tree with you?" 

"Maybe we'll do that," smiled Reshella before they continued on to the roof. The view, they discovered, though not as good as the _luaha_ , was still extraordinary. 

Yuri directed them to an unoccupied table near the cheery yellow railing. They sat down and look out across the city, stretching majestically in all directions. To the east, the castle could be seen perched like a watchful eagle over the city, protected in its _luaha_ nest. 

A waitress came up and asked what they would like. Yuri told her; she disappeared into the building. Reshella turned to Yuri and asked him a question. 

"What is the name of the city?" 

Yuri clearly did not have the answer immediately; he pondered it for a moment, then ventured an answer. "Most people just call it the city, or the capital, and everyone knows what they mean. Some, like the restaurant owner, call it Selen City. Others call it the Selenar Capital. Still others name it as the Heart of the Republic. As to it's official name, I have no answer. It doesn't have an official name. Nevertheless, no one mistakes this city for any other one." 

"How many other major cities are there on Selen?" asked Nemor. 

"I'd say maybe fourteen or fifteen," said Yuri. "Six large cities are on this continent, four on Henath, and about five on Jereskay. I don't know whether Kandackallo and Zebbradaranae are counted as separate cities right now or not. I hope that while it is only one city they find a better name for it than Kandackallozebbradaranae." 

"Can what?" cried Reshella. 

"Kandackallozebbradaranae." Yuri said, "When separated, the locals call them Kand and Zebb. Together, it's called Kanzebb." 

"Much more pronounceable," said Reshella, relieved. "Not that I ever intend to go there." 

"I know what you mean," moaned Yuri, "Their food is awful!" 

"Reminds me of the academy," commented Dano. 

They laughed until the waitress arrived with a delicious-smelling fruit dish. Reshella stuck her scanner in that direction. She discovered that the tosirans were safe for the aliens to consume. She took a bite of a pinkish fruit. It was the best she had ever tasted; similar in flavor to pineapple. 

The other visitors were digging into their tosirans. They seemed to be enjoying them. Reshella said, "This is delicious. What is it?" She indicated the pink fruit. Just then she realized it bore a slight resemblance to Yuri's hair. 

"Kappur fruit," Yuri said. "From the kappula tree." 

Before Reshella could respond, an explosion rocked the restaurant. Someone shouted, "What's going on?" in thick Betazoid, without even the courtesy of having their universal translator on. That was Dano. Reshella, who was the only person present who could understand him, said that she didn't know. A fire had broken out at the staircase into the building, cutting off escape from there. 

Reshella's phone beeped. She opened it and said, "This is Captain Kinoped. What to you want?" 

Lershoralz's voice said, "A manner of conflagration is burning in your general area, ignited by a explosive device detonation." 

"If you mean a fire, I realize that!" 

"If you would evacuate the building, the _Intrepid_ could render assistance." 

"Easier said than done, Lershoralz!" cried Reshella as she struggled to comply. The Selenar in the restaurant were on the verge of panic. The stairs down on the outside were crowded with people racing to get out of the building. Reshella began shouting to the people, "Don't panic everyone. Don't crowd the stairs. Walk single file down the stairs." As soon as she had taken over, people had stopped shouting, the evacuation was moving faster, and everyone was about as calm as one could expect. 

They had gone last down the stairs and finally found the ground. Several Selen police were attempting to keep a shouting woman from racing into the building. She kept crying, "Mythic! My daughter is in their! You have to let me find her! Poor dear Mythic! Let me go! Mythic! My child! My daughter!" Apparently, all of the others had left, and no one was going in to get the child. 

Reshella grabbed her scanner. There was, indeed, a young Selenar girl within the building. Using the scanner to give her the coordinates, Reshella entered the restaurant. Nemor cried a protest but did not try to stop her. 

The inside of the building was burning. Reshella put on a ventilation mask. To her right, a child was shouting for help. Reshella found Mythic a few moments later. After lifting a beam and lifting the child, she struggled to make an exit. A jet of water came down from the sky and onto the fire to her right. It was slow to put out the fire there. It seemed as though the _Intrepid_ had "rendered assistance." Reshella took a glance back to see that the area that Mythia had once been in was now an inferno. Reshella found the exit. 

Mythic's mother looked overjoyed to see her child. Reshella gave her the girl and removed her mask. She immediately found herself being thanked immensely by the woman. In all of that, she deduced that the woman's name was Mathene Neero. She discovered that Mathene was a "tourist" from Selar, sampling the local cuisine or something. Finally, Reshella found that Mathene no longer wanted to stay on Selen and wished to return to Selar with Mythia as soon as possible. 

Reshella momentarily turned away and spoke to the others in standard English. They suggested that the _Intrepid_ take them home. The two Selenar would be able to see their ship, and the aliens would have a chance to see what Selar was like. Reshella agreed and told Mathene. The Selenar was delighted. 

They looked up and discovered that the fire was out. It appeared that most of the building had been made of a non-flamable substance, like metal or stone. This seemed to have minimized the damage. Nevertheless, it had cause a great scare in this section of the city. Fortunately, the _Intrepid_ had managed to put out the fire before it spread to other buildings. Reshella said that they might as well register their ships now. 

Yuri took them to the place, which was surprisingly empty. They rang a bell. Ten minutes later, a Selenar boy appeared, laden with empty boxes. They requested service. They were taken to a waiting room. 

Waiting rooms were named appropriately. That was all one did in them. Wait. Hours later, the same boy appeared, requesting some one named Yurigallatar Daricuri Yubic. Yuri sighed and followed him. Moments later, Yuri reappeared, beckoning them to come. Reshella and the others gratefully proceeded into a long, long, long hallway with too many identical doors and absolutely no people. At the end of this corridor, they entered room that held dozens of chairs and a desk. They were asked to take seats. Nemor said, "Take them where?" Reshella elbowed him. Then they sat down and waited more. 

Finally, a large Selenar man with a thick red beard and no hair anywhere else on his head came in and sat in front of the desk and began to organize his pen rack. Nemor muttered something like, "I can't bear to watch." He stood up, picked up his chair, turned it around a hundred and eighty degrees, and sat down facing the wall. It was a very boring wall, but Nemor didn't seem to care. 

Reshella blinked, but didn't say anything. Finally, Red Beard shoved a six-hundred page manuscript into her hands and told them to return when they had decided what they wanted to do. Reshella glanced at the cover page. In abstract Selenar script, it read: 

The World of Selenar Interstellar Exploration 

A brief description 

by Bor U. Greatly 

Reshella blinked again and shoved the "brief description" into Lihal. He immediately opened it and began speed-reading. By the time they had returned to the castle, Lihal had gotten through a hundred pages of it. Reshella said to Nemor, "We better not disturb him. He might forget everything and have to start all over again." 

"Unlikely concept," said Lihal, his eyes never straying from the page, "My memory capacity by far surpasses that of most humans. Unlike humans, Withiki do not daydream when we wish not to. We also do not forget things easily. In fact, we are not easily distracted and we habitually recall things with great clarity and adroitness." 

"Nemor, let's get out of here before he goes into a complete description of the Withiki brain."

By about mid-afternoon, there came a knock on Dano's door. There were three people in this room at that time: Reshella, Dano, and Nemor. They were translating classic Selenar folklore into standard English. So far, they had gotten through three tales: The Ishta and the Wishing Well, Keilo's Dream, and Flight of the Iyamor. They were in the middle of Valley of the Silver Tears when the knock came on the door. Dano got up and opened the door. 

Lihal entered and stated, "I believe I have found a particular branch of the Selenar Interstellar Exporation Organization that is sutible to our desires. D2792E4122C. It allows the ships enrolled in it free reign to explore at will as long as no treaties or quarintines are violated and that the ships report their findings to the Selenar Republic." 

"Cool," said Reshella, "Why don't you just go and register, then?" 

"I will get to that immediately," Lihal said as he breezed out of the room. 

They got back to Valley of the Silver Tears. Soon after they had started translating folktales, they had discovered that sentences and ideas were separated by a single vertical line. The closest analogy they could get was a period, or any other sentence terminator, for that matter. They were currently debating over a particular sentence. The pictures were: A rose; a girl; a set of vertical bars; a rabbit-like animal; a figure running; a figure in front of a gate holding a spear and a shield; a box filled with sand; a fire; several figures running. They had learned to recognize the first two symbols as the name of the main character, Sylba. The bars meant a prison, or otherwise a place where one is held unwillingly. 

"There is no rabbit in Valley of the Silver Tears," Dano stated. 

"No, but what do you normally think of when you see a rabbit," said Reshella. 

"Timid," said Nemor, "Helpless, afraid." 

"Exactly," said Reshella, "The author is conparing Sylba to a rabbit. She is helpless and afraid, running away from the prison." 

"Of course!" said Dano. 

"Then what are the box of sand and the fire for?" asked Nemor. 

"I don't think that's sand," said Reshella. "Isn't there some sort of substance sold in boxes with too many in there to count?" 

"There would be a lot of sand in that box," said Dano. 

"Perhaps the sand means many," suggested Nemor. 

"Then what of the fire? There is no fire here." said Dano. 

"Mabybe it isn't a thing, but a feeling," said Nemor. 

"Hunger, anger, burning, heat," suggested Reshella. 

"The guards are not hungry," said Dano, "And they are not hot or burning." 

"That leaves anger," said Nemor, "It would be logical to assume the guards are angry." 

"Sylba prison afraid run, guard many angry chase," Reshella said. "Frightened Sylba runs from the prison as many angry guards are chasing her." 

"Put it down," Nemor said to Dano, who typed the translation into his recorder. They then moved on to the next sentence. 

Later, they had finished Valley of the Silver Tears and had moved on to The Three Lights. There came a knock on the door. It was Lihal. 

He barged in and said, "The IEV _Intrepid_ , DBT-1412 The IEV _Nautilus_ , DBT-2716." 

Reshella smiled with pure joy as did the others. Through the halls of the Selen castle, a collective cheer rang out.

The return to the ships was eventless. Mathene and Mythic enjoyed the flight but did not see it as odd or unusual. Once on board, they downloaded as many Selenar tales and books as Selen had available. They then broke orbit and flew to Selar. Mathene suddenly informed them that she would like to stay on the _Intrepid_. After a short debate, Reshella agreed to it. 

She said to Dano, "What is our current destination?" 

"The Tarena-Deffara sector, in unexplored space," said Dano, unable to resist smiling as he said it. 

"You got it," said Reshella. "Let's go." 

And thus, the _Intrepid_ and the _Nautilus_ soared off into the vast reaches of space.


End file.
